Staff

Michael ‘Mo’ O’Donnell is the Director of The University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. Dr. O’Donnell received a JD and a Masters in Agricultural and Resource Economics, both from the University of Arizona, and, a PhD in Economics from the University of New Mexico. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar. For over a decade, Dr. O’Donnell has been responsible for managing BBER’s quarterly...

Suzan has been with BBER since 2013 and oversees the BBER Data Bank. Suzan has over 20 years of experience in analyzing industry and occupation statistics for New Mexico’s economy. Prior to working at BBER, Suzan worked for New Mexico’s Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS), Economic Research and Analysis Bureau, where she worked on a variety of programs involving labor market Information. As a labor economist...

Julian, a Senior Research Scientist, joined BBER in 2015. He has authored projects on diverse topics, including capital access, work force development, economic development, housing, public finance, and local agriculture. Prior to BBER, Julian worked for over a decade as the Deputy Chief Investment Officer and as a portfolio manager at the New Mexico public employees pension system and the New Mexico State Investm...

Rose Elizabeth Rohrer joined BBER as a Research Scientist in 2019. Her research interests focus on the intersection of environmental and social issues, especially in rural communities. At BBER, Rose has worked on various projects including a study investigating the economic challenges and opportunities of uranium mine remediation for the State and the potential economic impact of community solar developments in Ne...

Charis Ailes is a Research Scientist who joined the team at The University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research in January 2023. She holds two Master’s degrees in economics, the first from New Mexico State University and concentrated on Public Policy Analysis; the second from The University of New Mexico, with a concentration in Public Economics. Having started out with a Bachelor’s in Sociolog...

Alexis is a Research Scientist at UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. She joined BBER in August 2020 as a Research Assistant and received a full-time promotion to Research Scientist following her graduation from UNM in May 2023. Her areas of interest and specialization include transportation, labor, development, financial markets, and quantitative methods. She has contributed to various research projec...

Freshness Uzo-Hez is student at the University of New Mexico majoring in Psychology with a double minor in Biology and Statistics, who joined BBER in May 2025. She wants to pursue a career in psychological research that utilizes mixed methods. At BBER, she hopes to strengthen her skills in qualitative research methods and analysis, data entry, and literature review. In her free time, she likes to hang out with fri...